Show cr ti W 0 L ra S filp W M an JOE LABRADOR NOrsiS BT traveling Travail ng by canoe on abb mississippi on his way to biloxi in the early curly days of tile alie fit settlement of louisiana william brampton english spy known to indiana and settlers bottlers as ao the W white itte indian seep 1 a natchez indian post a declaration of 0 war the F rench french F for or hio own purposes he bas t ens to to carry the newa new to Di enville french governor brampton meets an old friend joe labrador indian dian hult breed who warns him Blen villo has haa threatened to nane him its aa a apy brampton ampton Dr refuses to turn baak ire he falls in with julis jules and nall basile mattor matter on their way to biloxi to secure w wives ives from a R ship the malre bringing women from prance france at biloxi brampton ampton nr protects a woman from a sergeants Berge anta brutality she tells tella him she bhe to la claire picked up in A raid in parla paris avi dently well bred and educated she ahe la Is a mystery to brampton rampton Il lie ile intervenes to prevent a man english known as old six fingers following her to now new orleans A frenchman francois narbonne slightly demented by stories lie he has heard board of the worldon riches of the now world introduces at himself Bl enville accuses brampton of treachery but the latter secures a respite from death by revealing the natchez declaration of war ile he in if to await tho the arrival of a former companion comp anlon damean the fox who will exonerate or condemn him damean has documents proving brampton in an english Knel lali spy brampton ampton nr receives a messana from claire him to help liar her reach the 11 english settle monts menta brampton trusts nar bonna with a note to claire v promising to meet meat her at new orleans lie ile plans tits him escape after a struggle brampton ampton nr wrests wreata the incriminating papers from Dart ioan and escapes from biloxi CHAPTER V continued 9 7 t I 1 dipped into it and found the IRr parched ched corn excellent anil and the beairs i fat fresh after my hard travel it was its most I 1 sat down and be art enn ann eating the choctaw Ch octav squatted or on ahls heals becore me an nii expression ap al r most indicating amusement lighting lila eyes ayea A 5 what la 14 your mark I 1 asked men meaning nit ig tits clan 4 z 11 stare A over try my licad nt the green for fully a minute then alien an rf 0 burcl red cl OHR clow claw comes from pah you are the white indian from this startled me and put me ine on tny my guard although I 1 grave gave no sign as I 1 nodded it careless it would appear that the news ot 0 tny MY A night had kept up with me at you also come coine from 1311 I 1 asked ile he shook his head bond saying i from a hunters caknip north of Bli two of my brothers live hero here with the brend ile he pointed lit in tile direction of the as P asca goulas village r dd you tee see tho the frenchman they call ca 11 the tha pox pass your village on tits his v way to biloxi yesterday there was an almost 1 flicker in hla lits small eyes tind without 46 for the proper pause lie he tin iro media mediately lely shook tits his head 1 I have eaten nearly nil all your corn com and now I 1 must pity for it I 1 insisted there will be a big feast tonight and nd I 1 shall have much to oat eat lie he an M nil with a scream a panther might hive havo sounded ho fie leaped forward with hla his ax f back and forth on aN awe vered reil teetering f his heels ile he was a clumsy liar it it ii a cha chari r acte ristle at 0 bany many red mn men I 1 have met to be as obvious ns as children when ft hen they try to deceive wily should lie he t arry tarry A pouch full of corn it if tits hla journey was vips to end with a feast at 96 g pascagoula tasca pasca goula bay when lie he filled his 0 pouch with corn and bears fat lie had expected to follow a trail might toko take him to pensacola I 1 abruptly said my bly medicine tells roe me you stand it ID th the shadow 0 of death Is there any one to make a last cry fur ut you ills his yea j ps nearly closed and the powerful ebest io rose and fell quickly when hugh vr andexler Pen a dexler author of kings kinga of iho missouri caravel i rauel A Vir lirginia clinia seoul scout etc by nuch ren dexter 1212 la la service he spoke however his voice was waa composed and he quietly said 1 I rm am of tho panther clan I 1 am a hunter when I 1 dle die my spirit will vill bo be very happy my people plant corn and melons I 1 live by hunting and tho the white man lunn la Is spoiling the hunting my ghost will be happy even if I 1 have no wife to make the last cry does tile tha white indians medicine tell him any more morel it tells that the to pensacola la Is very bad for you I 1 must cross tile the i bay and take the patti path to tho the spaniards I 1 said rising to my feet ills lips tightened my departure was wag hurrying tits hla plans and lie he did not like hlo it it suddenly Pud denly lie raised a hand for silence it wits wag a squirrel scamper ing through the foliage overhead 1 the white indian shall take a little littie meat with him tie he whispered staring up into the green branches bron chos while lie he plucked his bow from his shoulder and strung it without removing film gaze from the leafy canopy he drew a reed arrow from the quiver and placed it on the string then lie commenced circling the tree his head tilted far back I 1 could trace the movements of tile the squirrel by the slight stirring of the leaves leases it begun began descending the trunk and ns it did to tile tho Ind indians inns head slowly reverted reyer ted to a more normal position cud and tits hla outstretched hands bands holding the drawn bow bov gradually gia dually ceased pointing toward the zenith and swept forward to follow the telltale rustling down the tree trunk triumph flashed in ills his eye und lind tny my medicine warned me I 1 was a fool to stand there and be butchered that the squirrel had find given sharp claw ills his chance to strike lie ile gave a quick low cry and shift oil c d ills his alm and I 1 went down on my face and felt my fur cap snatched front from my head by the passing arrow with a scream a panther might have sounded lie he leaped forward with ills his ax while I 1 tugged at my pistol had it missed lire fire as it sometimes did my chances would have been practically worthless down lie went hands outstretched and nearly touching me and for a bit we two lay there the quick and the dead my first thought was to make tile the shore of tile the bay and signal for the packet to take me oft off common sense stepped in and told roe me to tilde hide the dead man as it be the greater part of the tiny day before the matters came inshore I 1 cast about and ant found a hole where the roots of 0 an upturned oak hild lifted the soil and therein I 1 placed the man mail of the panther Ianth cr clan who tiled died because of treachery also because lie he was a clumsy cluni sty liar working swiftly 1 I carefully obliterated all of the killing fortunately we had not grappled and disturbed the turf A cunning rearrangement of moss and forest mold hid the dark stains left by tile the claw when he fell on oil ills his face with the heavy pistol ball through tits his heart making north from the icene scene of th the e tight fight I 1 bent over a branch of a bay bush to mark direction I 1 repeated this sign several times knowing tho the pox fox or ills his indian allies would accept it as a token from the dead nian lilan having doi done ie this much to mislead the enemy I 1 stole back to the shore and con concealed baled myself I 1 dared not make a smoke tor for fear those on my truck track or some of the pasca goulas would investigate it now that I 1 had a breathing brea tIling spoil pell I 1 made myself comfortable in the underbrush at tile the edge of the timber and opened up the package of papers dit moan the fox had carried inside ills his hunting the first drat one I 1 opened was tuy my can canadian adlan report the data I 1 had find so foolishly entrusted to for delivery putting it in my pocket I 1 gaye gave my attention to the other papers there were three of them all from men high in the affairs of tile the colonies and each directing my attention to a different branch of inquiry any one of the four papers would have proved my occupation beyond a shadow oi ui doubt and sent me to dangle in a noose ilow how damean had find ingrati abed himself into tile the good graces of my correspondents to the extent of making them believe lie he was a inn friend of wine and could be trusted to bring me instructions was a mystery had he delivered my canadian report that net alone would have gone tar far to establish him as a rood good friend of the colonies but lie he had obtained tits his evidence without surrendering my report I 1 went over the list of inquiries mentally checking off those I 1 already had made and mer men zed the ethers then I 1 clug a hole deep under the lie bole of a white oak and burled buried all but ray my report on the french north of the ohio that document I 1 risked on my person for a while longer and accustomed cus tomed to snatching my rest when I 1 could I 1 stretched out and went to steep sleep voices were sounding close by when I 1 opened my eyes the sun gun hun low three pi pirogues rogues had put in to ellow allow four to land nearly a dozen indians remained in the dug outs up to their knees in fish ban what the lie four coining ashore were after puzzled me until I 1 saw two of them carrying a net and making for a 2 sand pit directly below my position while the other two made for the grove with their bows and arrows in their hands their companions pushed off the two on the beach emptied a quantity of clams on the sand and began gathering dry driftwood the men disappearing in the timber were after squirrels or any other small game roasted clams and broiled squirrels elst I 1 my mouth watered and I 1 watched them enviously na as they built their tire fire gradually a wisp of smoke climbed into the brassy heavens increasing in volume as aa the clams wrapped in seaweed were thrown on the coals what at ficat I 1 took to he be a gull caught in the level sunbeams become became a sall sail the boat drew nearer practically running before tile the wind here was wag on in unforeseen dite dilemma nima the matters had observed the smoke and lind find accepted it na as my signal and were coming coining in to take me off on did I 1 fall to show myself they would become frightened and put back to open sea and RO go about their bit business 8 I 1 ne ss if I 1 showed myself I 1 would startle the Pasca goulas who would at once report the incident rind and biloxi would soon learn the truth while I 1 was waa willing the whole coast should think me safe in pensacola I 1 did not wish to bring punishment on the Mat matters tors tile the boat lost the wind as it drew inside the bay and made slow progress toward the smoke while scouring my wits for a ay to avoid the dament clament dam clam ent ers and make the packet a shrill cry rang out in the onks oaks behind me it was a yelp of astonishment pos possibly ably tear fear the indians indiana on the sand leaped to their feet lind end started wildly toward the timber the cry wits was repeated tills this time in a signal and the men below me gave nn an answering whoop and rushed for the grove this second cry was one of discovery and I 1 believed tile the hunters hod had found the hotly body of sharp claw was quickly replaced by a sense of satisfaction the dead man had drawn the front from the shore I 1 only asked that damean and lila life red allies had found my signs anti and had hurried on toward pensacola while I 1 was asleep should they be at land hand to witness the exhumation of the choctow they would know my signs were decoys an and that I 1 was wag not hound for the spanish settlement the packet wag now near enough for me to recognize the alie two I 1 hit had expected to swim for it and if not for my musket it would have been simple enough but before taking to the water I 1 glanced up ill and down the shore and discovered a small pirogue pl rogue running the risk of being seen I 1 ran to this and pushed it into bt water and paddled for the boat feet of the devill devil I 1 why did you yen not groaned matter pre as I 1 climbed aboard and kicked the pirogue free to drift ashore with the incoming tide I 1 throw threw myself flat in the boat and basile growled the eyes of the world are watching us its enough talk I 1 I 1 commanded there Is no one on shore but some soine indians you ou must work the boat between isle au an algle and the dauphine lne and anil for pensacola 11 for Pensacol al exclaimed jules when the sun goes don well change our course for Pont pontchartrain chartrain there you will drop me and I 1 will pick up a canoe I 1 have the I 1 promised you 11 monsieur Is it a gentleman it la Is right we should help him decin declared red basile Ilas lle idol lot hoi see how hov red the sun 19 1 mattor the elder crowd himself and I 1 heard him film muttering ring there la Is blood on it ill I 1 I 1 wondered it if it were an ill omen for me I 1 hoped hope it was the lie blood of sharp claw the Cho choctaw etaw CHAPTER VI I 1 keep rm fin appointment without incidents of interest the packet anchored at sundown in the mouth of tile little bayou st jean or as it still was known to many settlers the matters had completed their bargain but so happy wore were they over earning their without being brought to book by tie de WeL iville they were loath to 1 arave bave rne me in the swamps and marshes without canoe and jules mattor frankly said it not only would offend my henrt to leave you stranded in this muck monsieur but it would endanger my I 1 ad without n canoe you will be found then his excellency would surely ask how flow you get here you did not swim here ile he would know ours was the only boat to come this way since you escaped from biloxi enough lim have the kind heart to find a i log canoe for monsieur basile was gone but a short time lime when he returned with a small pl pi I 1 rogue which he he had borrowed from some of le io page la du I 1 llrath Ira keople ETt etterina erinc this with my gun and d it a bag of smoked meat I 1 paddled into the swamp growth while the matters lost no time inputting in ln putting about and working the tha packet into a light breeze aud and sailing south mouth doubtless 1 to little bide up in lake borgne for a while their alibi if I 1 were discovered by my iny enemies would be of a geographical nature keeping close to the bank and under shelter of the overhanging willows I 1 worked along slowly until the splash of a paddle ahead sent me into hiding it was quite dark under tinder tile the arching trees and I 1 could not have told whether it was a white red or black nian man approaching had not the fellow started a song popular on the tha st lawrence As lie he drew abreast of my place I 1 softly called ai joe oe Labra labrador dorl I 1 the mie good saints I 1 ho he ejaculated swerving ills canoe with a swirl of hla his paddle and making toward me hal loa I 1 who calls to me from the dark in the voice of a white man the white indian I 1 cautiously replied diable Dlab lel I 1 monsieur brampton I 1 what terrible folly with the whole gulf culf upper river to trav f feet of the devill devil I 1 why did you not groaned mattor matter pere perc I 1 el you come here lie he growled and monsieur did tile me the honor to call me tete de bolst are you indeed mad my friend why I 1 come here I 1 asked ns na hl his canco an slid against mine and we grasped hands because word lins has been brought to la in nouvelle orleans this very morning for the people to watch out tor for you to take you prisoner and return you to biloxi we waste words why are you paddling down the bayou to the lake fat it the edge of night 1 oh I 1 go to the mouth of the bayou |